Common Interview Questions

An interview can be quite stressful at the best of times, but sitting through one unprepared for even typical interview questions can be disastrous. Below is a list of common interview questions. Take some time to think about how you would respond. It helps to prepare by writing down short answers to the questions and reviewing them prior to the interview. Practicing will help you be more confident during the interview.

The interviewer may ask you questions that are not included in this list. Try to stay calm and take a moment to think about your response before beginning to speak.

As you practice interview questions, think about the things that you would like to ask the interviewer. For example: What are the job responsibilities? How many working hours per week? Be prepared with your own questions.

Take particular care in listening to how they want you to answer the question.

General Questions

Tell me a little about yourself.
Why should I hire you?
How do you define success?
What are your strengths/weaknesses?
Where would you like to be in five years? Ten?
Describe your personality.
What past accomplishments have given you satisfaction? Why?
What made you choose to apply to this position?
Why do you want to leave your current position?

Job Specific Questions

What do you know about this position?
What do you know about this company?
Explain why you are qualified for this job.
Are you looking for a permanent or temporary job? Why?
Why did you leave your last or current job?
What are you looking for in a job?
What kind of people do you like to work with?
What type of work environment do you prefer?
Describe the best boss you have ever had.

Experience Questions

How would you define a great work environment?
Have you ever worked for a difficult person?
Have you mostly worked alone or in groups?
How many projects can you handle at one time?
What was your workload in your current/last position?
What are some things you find difficult to do on the job? Why?

Education Questions

What tertiary qualifications have you attained?
What if (if any) self improvement courses/programmes have you attended?
What certificates have you attained?
What is the most recent skill you have learned?
What have you learned from your past jobs?

Behavioural Questions

Are you a persistent person? Give me an example of this, if so.
Where do you stand with your former employer?
Explain a difficult situation in which you were involved and how you handled it.
How do you work with new people?
We have a problem with “______”. How would you handle this problem?

Stressful Questions

How do you handle stressful situations?
Describe a stressful situation and explain how you handled it.
Can you work overtime? Weekends? Travel?
Do you have any questions?
How do you think this interview is going?
How long have you been looking for a new job? Why?
How long would you stay with us?
Have you ever had problems getting along with others?
What can I tell you about my organization?
What can you bring to the table that someone else could not?
What outside interests do you pursue?
Do you have any reservations about the job of the company?